Research Question: What are the most prevalent STD's in the U.S. and how are we protecting ourselves against them? Contributed by: Kevin Phelan
Infection Protection
According to the latest Center for Disease Control statistics, twenty-five million women in the United States have HPV, human pappiloma virus, making it the most common sexually transmitted infect in the country. The CDC is unsure of how many males are infected with the virus but they estimate that more than half of sexually active men will be infected with HPV at some point. HPV can be deadly in female cancers seeing as it causes most types of cervical cancers. Unlike AIDS, HPV is not spread by bodily fluids, but by direct skin on skin contact which makes condoms good protectors against the virus. HPV can also be spread by oral sex and in some cases it has been linked with certain oral cancers. Because HPV can cause cervical cancer, most of the prevention methods involve avoiding causes of cervical cancer.
The article lists many ways to prevent HPV as well as cervical cancer. Some things they list are do not take the pill for more than five years, don't smoke, relieve stress, and look into acupuncture. In all honesty, these are things that people should know to do on their own. It doesn't take too much common sense to realize that smoking is bad for you and anyone who is on the pill for more than five years without getting the HPV immunization isn't smart enough to be participating in sexual activity. Aside from the acupuncture, those prevention methods should be part of anyone's everyday life.
Trends in Primary and Secondary Syphilis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States
Syphilis is an ulcerative genital disease that makes way for HIV. Even though syphilis is quite uncommon in the U.S. it is prevalent among men who have sex with men, African Americans, and Hispanics. From 2000 to 2003 the rate of syphilis in men went up by 62% and in women it decreased by 53%. Before the big spike in syphilis occurrences it was at a historic low in the year 2000. It is believed that men who have sex with other men were responsible for sixty percent of the syphilis cases in the United States in 2003. The hardest part of eliminating syphilis is keeping the incidence of infection on a decline with populations that have already started as well as try to reduce the incidence in the gay male population.
Syphilis, at this point, is one of the easiest sexually transmitted diseases to get rid of. Considering that the majority of cases of syphilis to this day are found in men who have sex with other men it will be easy to rid the country of of this disease with condoms. If people cannot have sex without using protection than they should not be allowed to have sex. Just because men cannot get pregnant, that does not mean that they cannot be infected with a sexually transmitted disease. Unprotected sex is ignorant sex, no matter who is having it.
Trends in Primary and Secondary Syphilis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States.By: Heffelfinger, James D., Swint, Emmett B., Berman, Stuart M., Weinstock, Hillard S., American Journal of Public Health, 00900036, Jun2007, Vol. 97, Issue 6
Tenacious STD
Drug-resistant gonorrhea is spreading! Approximately 1.4 million people contract gonorrhea in the United States every year. Gonorrhea is the second most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. If gonorrhea is left untreated then it can cause infertility in both men and women. Also, in some rare cases, gonorrhea has attacked the blood and joints where it can become fatal. Up until 1990 a medicine called ciprofloxacin wiped out the infection in one dose. However, in the 90's the CDC noticed a ciprofloxacin-resistant outbreak of gonorrhea in Asia. The disease soon spread to Hawaii as well as California. Present day statistics show that 13% of all gonorrhea infections are resistant to ciprofloxacin treatments. The resistant form of the disease shows itself most among men who are having sex with other men. Women, recently, have not been included in the Morbidity and Mortality reports for gonorrhea.
As is the case with both articles before this one, use protection! It is not hard to slip on a condom when you know that you are going to be participating in sexual activity. However, still going along with the trend, men who have sex with other men obviously need to be more careful about who their sexual partners are and how often they endugle in sexual activities. If gonorrhea is fatal at all than something should be done to prevent. Whether it is a vaccination or a medicine, research should be conducted to develop a better method of dealing with this new form of the infection.
U.S. Surgeon General Candidate Speaks at Hearing, Faces Criticism
U.S. surgeon general candidate speaks at hearing, faces criticismJames W. Holsinger Jr. spoke before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees as a candidate for the position of Surgeon General of the United States. In his introduction Holsinger mention that he would be supporting the promotion of condoms as one of the many good ways to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Holsinger also referenced criticisms made towards him based on his past research of homosexuality. Holsinger continued to make it quite clear that he does not want his research to reflect his views on homosexuality. In fact, Holsinger went as far to say that he has a "deep respect for the essential human dignity of all people, regardless of background or sexual orientation."
Any government official, especially the surgeon general, who promotes the use of condoms and other contraceptives as a good way to prevent teen pregnancy is O.K. in my book. It is the conservative higher-ups who believe in nothing but abstinence as the way to fight pregnancy and STD's that really tick me off. You can preach all you want about abstinence and waiting until your married, but people are going to have sex regardless of what you say or think. It is much smarter to teach ways of protecting yourself from pregnancy and disease than to abolish it all together.
U.S. surgeon general candidate speaks at hearing, faces criticism.By: Bindman, Alyssa, Nation's Health, 00280496, Sep2007, Vol. 37, Issue 7
Bisexual Latino Men and HIV and SexuallyTransmitted Infections Risk: An Exploratory Analysis
As found in recent research analysis, men who identify themselves as bisexual tend to have more unprotected anal sex with men than protected vaginal sex with women. Also, being bisexual has been found to be a big psychosocial risk in being infected with HIV. Researchers have recently said that behaviorally bisexual men of color and their partners are at a rather high risk of being infected with HIV, higher than other homosexual males. Brooks R. Rotheram found that among African American and Latino bisexual men, the odds of being infected with HIV are much greater than men who have sex exclusively with other men and men who sex exclusively with other women.
I have found that in all of the articles I have read and reflected on that the simplest explanation is the best. In order to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy condoms should be used, if not more than one form of contraceptive at a time. Also, being educated in the different types of diseases and how to treat them helps as well. God forbid you get an STD's regardless of whether or not you used protection, if you do not know how to treat it than you are in a lot more trouble than you think.
Bisexual Latino Men and HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections Risk: An Exploratory Analysis. By: Muñoz-Laboy, Miguel, Dodge, Brian, American Journal of Public Health, 00900036, Jun2007, Vol. 97, Issue 6
Contributed by: Kevin Phelan
Infection Protection
According to the latest Center for Disease Control statistics, twenty-five million women in the United States have HPV, human pappiloma virus, making it the most common sexually transmitted infect in the country. The CDC is unsure of how many males are infected with the virus but they estimate that more than half of sexually active men will be infected with HPV at some point. HPV can be deadly in female cancers seeing as it causes most types of cervical cancers. Unlike AIDS, HPV is not spread by bodily fluids, but by direct skin on skin contact which makes condoms good protectors against the virus. HPV can also be spread by oral sex and in some cases it has been linked with certain oral cancers. Because HPV can cause cervical cancer, most of the prevention methods involve avoiding causes of cervical cancer.The article lists many ways to prevent HPV as well as cervical cancer. Some things they list are do not take the pill for more than five years, don't smoke, relieve stress, and look into acupuncture. In all honesty, these are things that people should know to do on their own. It doesn't take too much common sense to realize that smoking is bad for you and anyone who is on the pill for more than five years without getting the HPV immunization isn't smart enough to be participating in sexual activity. Aside from the acupuncture, those prevention methods should be part of anyone's everyday life.
infection protection. By: Wallace, Hannah, Natural Health, 10679588, Oct2007, Vol. 37, Issue 9
Trends in Primary and Secondary Syphilis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States
Syphilis is an ulcerative genital disease that makes way for HIV. Even though syphilis is quite uncommon in the U.S. it is prevalent among men who have sex with men, African Americans, and Hispanics. From 2000 to 2003 the rate of syphilis in men went up by 62% and in women it decreased by 53%. Before the big spike in syphilis occurrences it was at a historic low in the year 2000. It is believed that men who have sex with other men were responsible for sixty percent of the syphilis cases in the United States in 2003. The hardest part of eliminating syphilis is keeping the incidence of infection on a decline with populations that have already started as well as try to reduce the incidence in the gay male population.Syphilis, at this point, is one of the easiest sexually transmitted diseases to get rid of. Considering that the majority of cases of syphilis to this day are found in men who have sex with other men it will be easy to rid the country of of this disease with condoms. If people cannot have sex without using protection than they should not be allowed to have sex. Just because men cannot get pregnant, that does not mean that they cannot be infected with a sexually transmitted disease. Unprotected sex is ignorant sex, no matter who is having it.
Trends in Primary and Secondary Syphilis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States. By: Heffelfinger, James D., Swint, Emmett B., Berman, Stuart M., Weinstock, Hillard S., American Journal of Public Health, 00900036, Jun2007, Vol. 97, Issue 6
Tenacious STD
Drug-resistant gonorrhea is spreading! Approximately 1.4 million people contract gonorrhea in the United States every year. Gonorrhea is the second most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. If gonorrhea is left untreated then it can cause infertility in both men and women. Also, in some rare cases, gonorrhea has attacked the blood and joints where it can become fatal. Up until 1990 a medicine called ciprofloxacin wiped out the infection in one dose. However, in the 90's the CDC noticed a ciprofloxacin-resistant outbreak of gonorrhea in Asia. The disease soon spread to Hawaii as well as California. Present day statistics show that 13% of all gonorrhea infections are resistant to ciprofloxacin treatments. The resistant form of the disease shows itself most among men who are having sex with other men. Women, recently, have not been included in the Morbidity and Mortality reports for gonorrhea.As is the case with both articles before this one, use protection! It is not hard to slip on a condom when you know that you are going to be participating in sexual activity. However, still going along with the trend, men who have sex with other men obviously need to be more careful about who their sexual partners are and how often they endugle in sexual activities. If gonorrhea is fatal at all than something should be done to prevent. Whether it is a vaccination or a medicine, research should be conducted to develop a better method of dealing with this new form of the infection.
Tenacious STD. By: Vastag, Brian, Science News, 00368423, 4/21/2007, Vol. 171, Issue 16
U.S. Surgeon General Candidate Speaks at Hearing, Faces Criticism
U.S. surgeon general candidate speaks at hearing, faces criticismJames W. Holsinger Jr. spoke before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees as a candidate for the position of Surgeon General of the United States. In his introduction Holsinger mention that he would be supporting the promotion of condoms as one of the many good ways to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Holsinger also referenced criticisms made towards him based on his past research of homosexuality. Holsinger continued to make it quite clear that he does not want his research to reflect his views on homosexuality. In fact, Holsinger went as far to say that he has a "deep respect for the essential human dignity of all people, regardless of background or sexual orientation."Any government official, especially the surgeon general, who promotes the use of condoms and other contraceptives as a good way to prevent teen pregnancy is O.K. in my book. It is the conservative higher-ups who believe in nothing but abstinence as the way to fight pregnancy and STD's that really tick me off. You can preach all you want about abstinence and waiting until your married, but people are going to have sex regardless of what you say or think. It is much smarter to teach ways of protecting yourself from pregnancy and disease than to abolish it all together.
U.S. surgeon general candidate speaks at hearing, faces criticism. By: Bindman, Alyssa, Nation's Health, 00280496, Sep2007, Vol. 37, Issue 7
Bisexual Latino Men and HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections Risk: An Exploratory Analysis
As found in recent research analysis, men who identify themselves as bisexual tend to have more unprotected anal sex with men than protected vaginal sex with women. Also, being bisexual has been found to be a big psychosocial risk in being infected with HIV. Researchers have recently said that behaviorally bisexual men of color and their partners are at a rather high risk of being infected with HIV, higher than other homosexual males. Brooks R. Rotheram found that among African American and Latino bisexual men, the odds of being infected with HIV are much greater than men who have sex exclusively with other men and men who sex exclusively with other women.I have found that in all of the articles I have read and reflected on that the simplest explanation is the best. In order to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy condoms should be used, if not more than one form of contraceptive at a time. Also, being educated in the different types of diseases and how to treat them helps as well. God forbid you get an STD's regardless of whether or not you used protection, if you do not know how to treat it than you are in a lot more trouble than you think.
Bisexual Latino Men and HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections Risk: An Exploratory Analysis. By: Muñoz-Laboy, Miguel, Dodge, Brian, American Journal of Public Health, 00900036, Jun2007, Vol. 97, Issue 6
EDC 102 Fnl Prj Part I - Kevin